Boosting the productivity of iPad and Windows users with Office 365.

Known for its cleaning and care products—Erdal, Frosch and tana—the innovative Werner & Mertz is well-established in Europe and Japan. Its iconic frog mascot has been on display at the company’s Mainz headquarters for 145 years. Supported by a strong family tradition, Werner & Mertz has become a European leader in specialised care products, attributing its success to an innovative spirit and long-standing ties with its home town. Through its products and initiatives, the manufacturer regularly brings fresh ideas to the market.

Project details.

Services

Cloud Computing

Software

Industry

Chemical

Manufacturer

Microsoft

Company size

250–1,500 employees

Project objectives.

Werner & Mertz needed an integrated solution to prepare its software structure for the future. Specifically, it was looking for licences that would cover multiple devices, so that staff working on iPads would be able to jump seamlessly to desktop PCs while still using the same version of Office.

“Our company is able to benefit from innovative Office 365 software, thanks in large part to Bechtle’s excellent support. We now have access to the entire Office suite on all end devices without any compatibility issues. This has not only improved everyday employee efficiency, but also simplified user management for our IT department.”

Mario Dörfler, IT Purchasing/Group IT, Werner & Mertz GmbH

Solution.

To implement Office 365, Bechtle’s software specialists first defined and configured the so-called tenant for Werner & Mertz. This tenant lets administrators configure services and manage users and subscriptions. Bechtle then built a load-balancing Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) infrastructure between the existing local Active Directory and Office 365 to enable a direct connection between the two.

Business benefits.

Switching from Microsoft Office to Office 365 has allowed Werner & Mertz to apply the same licence to multiple devices. As a result, the company’s frequently used iPads now run the same version of Office as its desktop computers. In addition, Office 365 is an ideal platform for meeting future requirements, as it can be expanded or reconfigured at any time (for example to integrate new features) from a central location.